Countdown

[MangoMike]

Hey let the countdown begin.

...send lawyers, guns and money.

[Jerry Winchester]

I'm already there..........

Started loading stuff tonight.

Engine and generator service tomorrow morning.

New LED marker lights came in today. :D

Wife loaded drinks and adult beverages this afternoon.

Food has been procured.

160 gallons of $2.37 / gal diesel in the tank

100 gallons of fresh water on board (in case I need to pee a lot during those 1008 miles) :o

10 screw drivers (for the marker light installation demo) ;)

New awing rafter arm (so Lew can show me how to install it) :D

IPod and Bose headset charged and ready so my wife won't whine at my choice of music

Peanut butter crackers and jerky (in case I need a snack)

[Jon Wehrenberg]

Countdown to what?????????

I've been so busy polishing my slack adjusters and the inside of my valve stem caps I haven't even been aware anything is going on.

Just to show I have an ongoing maintenance program here are things I am doing today:

Changing the grease in my universal joints.
Dusting the inside of the glass on my dashboard gauges.
Polishing the air cleaner (inside).
Changing the air in my tires.
Waxing my radiator fan blades
Shampooing the carpeting in my bays.

Roger was recently warned about the effects of salt air on his coach. He should have been warned of the excess of testosterone that will also be present in FL.

[rfoster]

Hey Jon- Not only Salt and Testorone- I believe there will be lot of Hot Air (as in Florida) and BS!
Did You see Jerry Winchesters list - he needs to bring us a load of diesel - I filled my pickup yesterday $ 2.89 per gallon. A friend of mine went in the convenience store and ask for $5.00 of gas - the clerk farted and gave him a receipt.
I am looking forward to a good time.
BTW my $600 engine and tranny service turned into an all day deal, $742.00, scratched the decorative rear engine shroud, scratched the front hub cap and lost one lug nut cover.
The service guy had only been on the job 17 years?
whats up with that?
Roger

[Jon Wehrenberg]

Thread creep:

Dealing with folks with 17 years experience that cannot comprehend how you have to respect someone else's pride and joy is a great reason to do your own work.

Back to our show in progress: I'm leaving the hot air in FL, but I'll put the BS on my tomatoes.:D

[Jon Wehrenberg]

Mission control has just activated the on-board refrigerator and completed the tire pressure check. The countdown clock continues. Tomorrow the mission freight specialist will begin loading provisions.

[ken&ellen]

Ellen & I are loading our coach as I type. Any last request for your favorite music will have to wait until we arrive Tue. night. We usually wear tuxedos when we DJ..........But we will forgo the tradition with this crowd. Maybe the Jimmy Buffet look will be acceptable. Ken:p

[Jon Wehrenberg]

You can wear tuxedos. It is Jeff that has a problem with ties and I assume formal wear.

But in the social crowd I hang with, a clean tee shirt is as good as it gets. Hell, Winchester told me he is going commando. Now that is what I call relaxed.

As far as the Buffet look have you guys seen what those shirts with flamingos on them cost? That's out of my league.

[Just Plain Jeff]

News Bulletin:

I will in fact not be in stealth mode at the rally.

However, I will have the ionizing shields up.

Hee-hee, little surprise in store.

K&E: I got Sirius (no kidding) last fall. It has been set to the Elvis channel ever since. (That's a request).

No wonder I'm getting a little funny in the brain.

[Jon Wehrenberg]

A couple of posts on the other forum are about our favorite topic: the leans.

I will be talking about the Norgren valves, but often when we discuss the leans it is helpful to know in general how the coach leveling system works. For example, on my Liberty coaches I had a three way switch, one position being for the "road" or driving mode. The second was to allow manual adjustment of the air bag height, and the third position labeled "auto" which if selected allowed the coach to level itself.

I understand not all coaches are set up this way.

During the talk about the Norgren valves I think it would be helpful if attendees could briefly describe their leveling system. It might give clues which will help answer some of the questions relating to curing the leans.

[lewpopp]

Ken

I seem to recall Jeff liking "RAP". He won't admit it here, but I remember him whispering into Steve Mitchell's ear that he should have "RAP" at their next Florida rally.

Don't take my word for it. You'll see he needs it.

[MangoMike]

Ken & Ellen,

Music suggestions for the "Barclay Steak Dinner" Hosted by Jon, JW & Mango.

Jerry Winchester - Love Shack - B 52's
Mrs. JW - What's in it for me - Faith Hill
Mango - Any Buffet Tunes
Jon - We Are the Champions - Queen
Lew - Addicted to Love - Robert Palmer
Jeff - Sympathy for the Devil - Stones
Jim - Born to be Wild - Steppenwolf
Roger - Spirit in the Sky - Norman Greenbaum
Ben - Good Vibrations - Beach Boys
Truk4u - Convoy - CW McCall
Ellen - My Humps - Black Eyed Peas

[Jon Wehrenberg]

Jon: Mack the Knife, Bobby Darin

[ken&ellen]

What does The Humps mean, I don't get it! I'll have to pull up that song and buy it :)

[truk4u]

For sure, for sure rubber duck (Mango), we got your back door, C'mon:p

Now I won't be able to get that song out of my gord.:mad: I didn't see Dark Side of the Moon by Pink Floyd get assigned to anyone.

Hey Jon, I've been polishing my copper heat lines for 3 days, it's raining in the the Big "A" and I don't want to take the bus out of the garage. Since I have to leave this AM, do I get a dirty bus pass at POG, or will the welcoming committee wash all incoming buses?:rolleyes:

[MangoMike]

Ellen,
You may not want to play it at Target ;)
Mike

[Jon Wehrenberg]

Hey Tom,

If you want a bus wash when you get there you need to get rid of that Marathon, get a Liberty, and go to one of their rallies.:D

[Jon Wehrenberg]

K&E,

I'm putting in my request now. "Mack the Knife", Bobby Darin, and "Misty", Johnny Mathis.

I'm guessing my wife will know I asked for these.

[truk4u]

:mad: So that's why the Liberty's are so expensive, you get washes for free! We're in Valdosta now, almost 6 hrs from north Atlanta, traffic, traffic, traffic and rain, rain, rain. Now that the bus is dirty, sunshine for the next few days. The construction north of Valdosta is still a mess, rough roads and lots of bump signs.:mad: OK, where is everyone?

[Jerry Winchester]

I just walked in the house from a massive coach washing / wheel polishing. I may have to take a photo as I don't think it will hold up until we get to Florida. But it is clean today and those new LED marker lights are the berries.

Did anyone ever say how many coaches / people we expect?

[lewpopp]

Everytime I ask the number of attendees I am referred to Mr Skiff up in Maine. It'll take him the whole trip here to count the applications.

What happened to the the "GREAT WHITE SOUTHERN COMMAND MAN" and his ability to go on and on filling the pages with everything but a head count.:p

[lewpopp]

It's raining now and I'm sure if you Pussys don't like rain and such, the next few days have a 25% chance of rain. No, I won't say " boy, we really need the rain"

I have about a 3 hour trip to the rally taking my time. Not far but a lot less diesel.

[Jerry Winchester]

We told you that drafting practice would help with fuel consumption...:)

[Just Plain Jeff]

Last I heard was 15+ coaches with some non-coach drifters and special guests.

About 40 people, with more inquiries received quite lately.

[ken&ellen]

Small group/ large group....rain or no rain.........we expect to have a great time. Can not wait to share information....or just listening to the wise men around the council fire enjoying the peace pipe.:D

Mango....Ellen put together your list of requests.......you too Jon. She never heard of Johnny Mathis! :confused:

[Just Plain Jeff]

Ken: Are you sure you were posting to the right forum when you referred to the 'wise men?'

We know about Johnny Mathis. My parents used to listen to him all the time.

[Jon Wehrenberg]

Look who's talking. Cheap shots. From someone who is probably older than Lew.

[lewpopp]

If you're older than Lew, you're old!

Wise men sitting around the fire smoking a friggin bong is more likely the senario.

Don't you think that we should not only post what coach we have, tow car, airplanes, and bank account balance, but also our age so some of the smarter jokers can pre-determine whether we have dementia or not.

Crap! Forgot to take my medicine again.

[Jerry Winchester]

We are wheels up at 04:55 this morning. See you guys there.

[MangoMike]

You oil guys get up way too early in the morning.

Going to head down to Mango's to do a little work (making sure the registers stay plugged in while I'm gone) and hope to hit the road about 1 pm.

...on the road again.


Mango

[Just Plain Jeff]

Oh, this is really too sweet. With Jon and Jerry off the internet and on the road, we can say such wonderful things.

Problem is, Ben will probably be online at the rally and then we will have to face them in person with what they say.

[Jerry Winchester]

8:50 am and we are almost to Lafayette, LA. The wife had to wear a sports bra because I-10 is so stinkin rough. All my fillings are loose. She is driving and I am lounging. The new Verison card works well going down the road. Is this a great country or what?

Weather is sunny and clear.

Off the Internet? I scoff at your lack of connectivity.

JW

[ken&ellen]

Mango, We are leaving at 5PM from VA/NC border we may see the MotherShip at a rest area. If you see a Prevost Liberty with a Marathon paint job and South Dakota tags....honk! Ken & Ellen:cool:

[lewpopp]

Jeff

You and I can just sit back and relax whilst the loquasious ones have their spouses drive Ms. ( MR ) Lazy to the rally.t

[Just Plain Jeff]

Lew: I'll sit down with you any place at any time and talk.

We'll just have to try to remember what it was we were going to talk about.

Did you remember to bring my medications?

[Jerry Winchester]

Stopping for fuel in Gulfport, MS. and I didn't have to drive any in Louisiana. 400 miles down, 608 to go.

[MangoMike]

Clear the Interstate. The Mango Mothership is getting ready to head south. Full of Coronas and New York Strips.

Will be looking for Ken & Ellen at the border with the big bullseye painted on the back of the coach.

Jerry - On the road internet - you have definetly one upped me on this one.

MangoheadedSouth

[Jerry Winchester]

100 more miles to Tallahasee. Spotted 5 Prevost coaches so far, two pulling nice matching trailers. They all seemed to be headed in the wrong direction.

The computer says if we keep driving at this pace, we could make it to Polk City by 8:15pm. They sure have nice rest areas in Florida. Too bad we haven't stopped at any of them.

And Mike, how about photo posting from the road...

My driver

http://jdub.smugmug.com/photos/66098776-M.jpg

[Kevin Erion]

Jerry, You are the MAN! Wish I was going but way to far at $3.00+ a gallon and no time. please send us West Coast fans pictures of all the fun.
Kevin

[Just Plain Jeff]

Jerry gets the prize for the first foto on the way, but alas, Bill and Jody beat them to the site, arriving a full day early!

Kevin gets the prize for the smartest guy of all; look at the pictures and talk on the cell phone with us: Priceless!

There will be tons of pictures and lots of memories. Assuming we remember to recall them. (Something happens when you are in Florida after a certain age, you forget a lot of stuff).

[Jerry Winchester]

Well we have arrived at the rest area exit 413 on I-75 after a quick detour to Steak & Shake (we don't have these in Houston). Spoke to Jon and he is 40 miles north of us at the welcome center, so we are going to hook up in the morning for some formation flying into Polk City.

Mango didn't leave DC until rush hour, so he said he would drive until midnight and go from there. Ken & Ellen are MIA somewhere on I-95. We should hit the campground around 10.

$2.75 diesel in Gulfport and $2.85 just west of Lake City.

Casino that survived the hurricane
http://jdub.smugmug.com/photos/66144892-M.jpg

Florida Welcome Center
http://jdub.smugmug.com/photos/66145529-M.jpg

[Jerry Winchester]

Jon comes by to seine us up at the rest stop and promptly drives us into the fog..

http://jdub.smugmug.com/photos/66250714-M.jpg

Then we hear that Ken & Ellen are "smoking" it down from Virginia and we have the appropriate equipment waiting for them at the park.

http://jdub.smugmug.com/photos/66251599-M.jpg

Mr. Anal no more sets the brakes then he gets his cleaning stuff out.

http://jdub.smugmug.com/photos/66251071-M.jpg

We heard Lew was about here, but then we found out where he spends all his time. He just needed a few items.

http://jdub.smugmug.com/photos/66252001-M.jpg

Naked Lady mud flaps on a Prevost? Lew is an original.

[Jerry Winchester]

Great time at the rally. More about that later. Thanks to all who helped set it up. We pulled out around 6:30am and Jon was warming up to pull out as we did.

JW

[ken&ellen]

We left POG rally after a couple of maintence issues....loose belts. Great time at POG rally. Wonderful people. Camping in South Carolina tonight...picking up our Honda in North Carolina in AM. Thanks to all that made this week memorable. Ben, did you find out which parts are missing???? :eek: Send us your address we will Fed Ex them to you! Ken & Ellen

[lewpopp]

Couldn't sleep and was up at 4 AM.

I didn't hear anyone leave so you guys escaped before some of us could bid you farewell

So...FAREWELL and have safe trips. I now know who the guys are that are harrassing me.

Good times were had by all and it was a pleasure to meet all.

We left at 8:30 and were home at 11:30. Of course swaying along the highway with the the Mad Prevost.

I dug the weights out of the coach and will present them to anyone who will look at the coach. I am spooked by Jacksonville but I have no other alternative at this time. I'll have to stick to my guns on them guessing what is wrong.

[truk4u]

Diddo the good time. Great bunch and we can't wait for the next one.:) Mango is my hero, washed the bus before leaving, what a guy!! We're in Tampa until Monday then back to the grind. Lester was actually there again this morning helping out, let's throw Ken any work we can.

[Jerry Winchester]

Pulled into Houston at 9:30pm after a stop in Louisiana for boiled crawfish and lamb fries. 2004 miles round trip and I-10 still sucks from Lake Charles to Orange.

There was a Mango sized thunderstorm we drove thru for about an hour, but other than the occasional wreck, it was pretty smooth.

We can unload the coach tomorrow..........:(

[Jon Wehrenberg]

We rolled at 6:50 AM and backed in the garage at 6:50 PM. POG #1 was BY FAR the best bus rally we ever attended.

We not only met a bunch of great folks, but the knowledge gained is priceless.

Where and when is the next one?????????

[rfoster]

Thanks to everyone for a great time. I got many times over what I invested back in information and entertainment, plus the food was the best. Jerry and Jon cook great steaks, and Mango Mikes has got the best crabcakes and crab mayonaise ever.

Special thanks to Jeff, Helen, and Jim for puttting together a great group of people and having the talent and personalty to make it all happen.

For those who did not get a chance to attend we had the best!! The most informative hands on seminars I have ever attended. If you enjoy the ownership of a Prevost, and are like me wanting to know how to take care of it yourself, then by all means be at the next Rally!!

Micki and I pulled out around 10ish and olde webasto Mike being the trooper he really is, was washing his bus. We tooted around on the way back and about 8pm we decided to head home arriving in East Tn at 1am Sunday at 51 degrees.burrr!!

Everyone was great and thanks for a great time!!
Roger and Micki

[Jerry Winchester]

Roger Foster - The only man at the POG rally who sucessfully combined business with pleasure. I have coach and business envy. And he has a sassy wife to boot. :eek: No wonder he drives a Mini Cooper.....

I hope she works you like a borrowed mule this week. We sure enjoyed visiting with you guys and especially the coach tour. I am already looking for one of those radios....

JW

[ken&ellen]

We picked up the Honda in NC and made it home Sun. afternoon around 4:30. Looking forward to the next POG rally. Ken & Ellen

[Jerry Winchester]

I would like to try something like ODR at Branson (or Tablerock Lake), but I have also been to America's Best Campground in Branson and it was well done. They even have a coach wash area with coin operated pressure washers, so Jon and Mike could get jiggy.

Crap, Mike hasn't recovered from the last rally, so we may need to send someone to Alexandria to do an intervention.

[MangoMike]

Hi Guys,

Up to my keister in work. (Plus plantin' season at Mango's). Paying the price for being gone 2.5 weeks. Will post some good stuff late to night.

Fantastic Time at Polk.

MM